In what could be a huge embarrassment for the BJP in Chhattisgarh, it has emerged that the state’s education minister, Kedar Kashyap’s wife had a proxy candidate writing exam paper on her behalf.

According to reports, a fake candidate had allegedly sat university exams on Tuesday as a proxy for Kashyap’s wife Shanti Kashyap.

The minister’s wife, a final year MA student in English at the Sunderlal Sharma Open University in Jagdalpur, was appearing for her Masters exam conducted by an open university held in Bastar district on Tuesday.

The minister’s wife using a fake candidate to write her exam paper came to light after local journalists, following a tip-off, arrived at the examination centre, a high school in Lohandiguda. The nosy journalists then insisted that the in-charge of the examination centre, Hemant Khaparde, match her appearance with the photo on the candidate’s admit card.

An embarrassed Kharge confessed that the woman, who came to take the exams in place of the education minister’s wife, was later identified as Kiran Maurya, the minister’s sister-in-law. Kharge later clarified that he did not know about the fake candidate appearing on behalf of the minister’ wife.

Reacting to this incident, Bansh Gopal Singh, Vice Chancellor, Pt Sundarlal Sharma (Open) University said, “Since there was a mismatch between the dummy candidate’s appearance with that of Kashyap’s photograph in the university records, the in-charge immediately informed me.”

The opposition Congress party has demanded the immediate dismissal of Kashyap.

The state party chief Bhupesh Baghel said, “It is evident through this incident that how a School Education Minister is playing with the future of students. One can imagine the scenario of education in the state if a relative of school education minister is involved in such act.”

Chhattisgarh and neighbouring Madhya Pradesh (both ruled by the BJP) have been in news for huge scam related to admission and recruitment. In Madhya Pradesh, as many as 48 people have died in suspicious circumstances.

This latest revelation will also embarrass the BJP top brass as they had barely managed to see off the huge controversy involving Union HRD Minister, Smriti Irani’s alleged fake educational qualifications.

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